Second chance at love

Chapter 2

Victor Lockwood

My mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, and so much was at stake with so little time. The loud club music and the girl giving me a lap dance in front of me were doing nothing to ease my stress.

"You need to relax, Don," Sean said, refilling my glass. He was not only my best friend but also a private detective. He was the one person who truly understood the gravity of my situation. A month had passed since my father's death, and I had expected to step into the role of the new CEO of the family business. However, to my astonishment, that wasn't the case. Instead, I was informed that I needed to marry a certain Cassie Anderson and stay married to her for a minimum of six months.

“Don’t tell me to calm down, man!” I retorted. “You’re not the one in my shoes! Not only am I worried that Edward would want to take over the company, but now I have to be worried about getting and staying married for six months! Do I look like have the time to play a husband?” “You don’t have a choice,” replied Sean. “As you know the truth behind the whole thing. Cassie has no idea whatsoever as to why this is happening, and for the sake of our plan, it must stay like that. Only you and I know the truth.” “What about my brother? Don’t you think he’s going to show up anytime soon?” My stepbrother was a pain in my ass. He had always been a problem but he hadn’t been in the country for a while, even when father got sick, he didn’t show up, and now, I was very sure he would come. I just needed to put things into place.

"Your men have that area covered. Once he shows up in town, we'll know," Sean assured me.

I nodded, still feeling uneasy. "And what about this girl's mother? Are you sure we don't have to worry about her?"

"Everything is all set," Sean replied confidently. "She's promised to do whatever it takes to get her daughter on board, and with the substantial monthly allowance we're offering her, there's no way she'll resist. That way, even if we take everything from her daughter, they won't discover the real truth. She'll be well taken care of financially. There's nothing to really worry about."

I leaned back and lit a cigar, feeling a newfound sense of confidence in our plan. "Maybe I can finally relax and have some fun tonight."

Sean raised an eyebrow, curiously observing me. "I'm surprised you're not with Jenna," he said, referring to my girlfriend.

I shrugged, a feeling of detachment settling in. "I need some time for myself tonight," I replied, standing up. One of my guards sitting at the bar signaled for me to join them, but I shook my head.

"Are you really leaving all these beautiful strippers behind?" Sean asked with a sly grin.

I glanced at the alluring women heading our way. They were indeed tempting, but for some reason, my interest had waned. I needed a break, a moment of solitude outside the club.

"Yeah," I said, turning to leave. "See you later, Sean."

“Your men is handling that side. Once he shows up in town, we’ll definitely know,” Sean said.

I nodded, even though I still felt a bit uneasy. “And what about the girl’s mother?” Are you very sure that we need not worry about her?”

"Everything is all planned and set," Sean reassured. "She's promised to do whatever it takes to get her daughter on board, and with that huge allowance we're offering her, there's no way she'll resist. That way, even if at the end of the day, you divorce her daughter, they won't discover the real truth. She'll be well taken care of financially. There's nothing to really worry about."

I leaned back and lit a cigar, feeling a newfound sense of confidence in our plan. "Maybe I can finally relax and have some fun tonight."

Sean glanced at me curiously."I'm surprised you're not with Jenna," he said, referring to my girlfriend.

"I need some time for myself tonight," I replied, standing up. One of my guards sitting at the bar signaled for me to join them, but I shook my head.

"Are you really leaving all these beautiful strippers behind?" Sean asked with a sly grin, as he raised a glass to his lips.

I glanced at the women heading our way. They were indeed tempting, but for some reason, my interest had waned. I needed a break, a moment of solitude outside the club."Yeah," I said, turning to leave. "See you later, Sean."

As I stood outside with the night air cooling my nerves, I puffed on my cigar. It had been a long week and maybe I could relax. Sean seemed to have everything under control. Still, I couldn’t completely be confident until I was made the CEO.

For many years, my brother and I had always been at an intense rivalry

my brother and I had been locked in a fierce rivalry over who would inherit our father's legacy. Despite being our father's favorite, he treated us both equally. Now, I held twenty-five percent of the company's shares, my brother had twenty, and my stepmother owned five percent. The thought of a single person holding fifty percent gnawed at me, and I couldn't rest until I secured that as well.

The night was quiet, the city's hustle and bustle fading into the background as I contemplated the battles ahead.

As I was lost in thought, a sudden shriek nearby caught my attention and that was when I noticed a commotion in a nearby car. Due to the darkness it was impossible to see what was going on quite well, but I could tell the lady was in distress.

None of my guards was around to send over, so I had to figure this out myself. Walking closer to the car, I paid a close attention only to discover how the young man was trying to force a grown-up lady into a kiss, and she kept pushing him away but he was coming too hard. Unable to take it, I banged my finger against the mirror, making sure my expensive ring pierce through the glass, shattering it into tiny pieces. This got the man’s attention, forcing him to shift attention from the lady.

“Are you out of your mind?” He cried in dismay. Before he could step out, the lady had found a way to open the door and was hurrying towards me for help.

“You broke my glass, you bastard!” the lad went on, stepping out and trying to charge at me, but a sudden wave of my hand calmed him down. Two of my men were already around, and were taking over the situation while I took the lady by the hand, taking her away.

As we moved away from the disturbance, I could feel her trembling slightly. I spoke softly to reassure her, "You're safe now. Don't worry; my men will handle that situation. Is there anything I can do to assist you further?"